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Glite Dictionary
Langue d'oïl French

Langue d'oïl French

9.9
A group of old French dialects spoken in northern and central France that used 'oïl' for yes
  • noun
  • /læŋ ˈdɔɪl frɛntʃ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : francés langue d'oïl
  • The word 'oui' in modern French comes from 'oïl' in Langue d'oïl French.

Examples

  • Scholars study Langue d'oïl French to understand the evolution of modern French.

  • Many medieval texts from northern France are written in Langue d'oïl French.

  • The Langue d'oïl French dialects were prevalent in medieval times.

  • Many historians study Langue d'oïl French to understand medieval culture.

  • Scholars study Langue d'oïl French to understand the evolution of modern French.

  • Many medieval texts from northern France are written in Langue d'oïl French.

  • The word 'oui' in modern French comes from 'oïl' in Langue d'oïl French.

Synonyms

langue d'oil
vsLangue d'oïl French
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of old French dialects spoken in northern and central France in the Middle Ages

highlights the dialects' use of oïl as the word for yes

Surface Forms

Langue d'oïl French singular
Langue d'oïl Frenches plural

Morphology

langue + d'oïl + French

The phrase literally combines 'langue' (language) + 'd'oïl' (of oïl) + French, so a learner who knows those constituents could infer it refers to the language(s) associated with the word 'oïl' — i.e. a historical variety of French. However, 'd'oïl' is an archaic, specialised label and the term denotes a technical historical classification that goes beyond everyday compositional meaning, so the sense is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Langue d'oïl French comes from the old northern word oïl for 'yes'. Long ago people in the south said oc for 'yes', so calling the northern speech Langue d'oïl, which means 'language of oïl', gave a clear name to that group of dialects and explains why modern French 'oui' comes from oïl.